Browsing: Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Christian Today Lucinda Borkett-Jones Christians and Muslims living on Mount Zion have been the target of numerous hate crimes in recent years, but representatives from all three religions are taking a stand against the intolerance by repairing the mount’s graveyards. Last week a Greek Orthodox Seminary on the mount was the site of an arson attack in which one of the church’s bathrooms was set on fire. A wall was also sprayed with anti-Jesus graffiti, but no one was injured in the attack. Other incidents have seen gravestones smashed and people spitting at priests, and there has been little…

Source: Lacasuri Ortodoxe Ankara has granted Turkish citizenship to several clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, of which 4 are Metropolitans. A few days ago, Ankara gave Turkish citizenship to 10 clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, four of which have the rank of Metropolitan, namely: Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, Bishop Arsenius of Austria, Bishop Maxim of Silivri. In addition, the following clergy living in Constantinople, also received Turkish citizenship: Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Archimandrite Bartholomew, Under-Secretary Joachim, Archdeacon Andrew, Deacon Theodore, Protosingelos Ambrose, and librarian Archimandrite Agathangelus. All clergy are Greek citizens. So far, 35 bishops…

Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Fleeing for their lives, more than 2,400 exhausted and traumatized Christians from northeastern Syria sought refuge in the towns of Hasakah and Qamishli after their small communities were terrorized this week. The attackers targeted a stretch of villages along the southern bank of the Khabour River, where they burned homes and churches, murdered a fleeing 16-year-old boy, and abducted 150 Assyrian Christian men, women and children from their homes. For those who managed to escape the attack and seek shelter in Hasakah, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), with its church partner,…

Source: Faith Matters blog Sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Office of Inter-Orthodox, Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, the focus of this colloquium is an inquiry into Orthodoxy Christianity’s theology of engagement in humanitarianism. Click on the flyer on the left, download the pdf, or for more information, contact: V. Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Nathanael Symeonides, Director Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Executive Assistant to Chairman, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America Voice: [212] 774-0226 | Email: FrNathanael@goarch.org Web: www.goarch.org | www.assemblyofbishops.org Twitter: www.twitter.com/FrNathanael [subscribe2]

Source: Breitbart by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D. The Coptic Orthodox Church has announced that the 21 Egyptian Christians murdered by the Islamic State in Libya will be commemorated in its Church calendar as martyrs and saints. Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II said that the names of the 21 martyrs beheaded by ISIS on February 14 will be inserted into the Coptic Synaxarium, the Oriental Church’s official list of Martyrs, a procedure similar to canonization in the Latin Church. An icon of the 21 martyrs, drawn by Tony Rezk, will be the official image to commemorate their supreme witness (accompanying photo). The…

Source: St Thomas Orthodox Church 21 New Egyptian Martyrs of Libya Milad Makeen Zaky Abanub Ayad Atiya Maged Solaiman Shehata Yusuf Shukry Yunan Kirollos Shokry Fawzy Bishoy Astafanus Kamel Somaily Astafanus Kamel Malak Ibrahim Sinweet Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros Girgis Milad Sinweet Mina Fayez Aziz Hany Abdelmesih Salib Bishoy Adel Khalaf Samuel Alham Wilson Worker from Awr village (name unknown at this time) Ezat Bishir Naseef Loqa Nagaty Gaber Munir Adly Esam Badir Samir Malak Farag Abram Sameh Salah Faruq “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know…

Source: Lebanon Wire By Rupert Shortt*, The Independent The beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya by forces sympathetic to Islamic State over recent days is sadly not an isolated case. On the contrary, it is the latest of countless outrages perpetrated against Christians in or near the Church’s Biblical heartlands over many years. The latest victims were migrant workers from Upper Egypt. The announcement by the authorities in Cairo of retaliatory bombing raids on terrorist training camps in Libya should not blind us to an inconvenient truth – that more than 600,000 Christians have left Egypt over the past…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA]  In a letter addressed to the Primate of the Coptic Orthodox Church, His Holiness, Pope Tawadros II dated February 17, 2015, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, expressed condolences and offered prayers on behalf of the Holy Synod of Bishops and the clergy and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America on the martyrdom of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian men whose beheadings by IS forces were confirmed by the Libyan and Egyptian governments on February 14. Earlier, it had been reported widely that the Copts, who had sought employment in Libya, had been arrested…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America Fr. Constantine Sitaras talks about the great products and services of the Center for Family Care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The Ministry Updates series of videos highlights the work of the Metropolises and the Archdiocesan Ministries. The videos are available so that all viewers, Orthodox Christians and those from other faiths, will learn more about the work of the Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. To see the entire series, visit http://ministryupdates.goarch.org/. [subscribe2]

Source: Get Religion by Terry Mattingly What can be said about the images that are coming out of Libya, in that hellish Islamic State video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians – explicitly for their faith and their connection to “crusaders”? This is a story with so much religious imagery and language in it that there is no way for journalists to avoid the ghosts. Religion News Service, and some other news outlets, are using a very important quote from Pope Francis: “The blood of our Christian brothers is a witness that cries out,” Francis said in off-the-cuff remarks…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America ANAHEIM, Calif. – The 2015 Greek Orthodox Folk Dance and Choral Festival (FDF2015) just concluded another very successful year and its four-day weekend celebration of Faith, Dance and Fellowship. FDF is the largest gathering of Greek-Orthodox young people in the United States and arguably the largest youth festival of traditional Greek dancing in the world. Approximately 2,500 young people took part as dancers, musicians and singers, and more than 3,500 people attended in total, including parents, grandparents and friends. FDF is an institution and long-established tradition in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco,…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos Rev. Angelo Artemas, presiding priest at the Annunciation parish in Milwaukee, spoke with TNH about his predecessor, Fr. James Dokos, who has been charged with stealing money from a trust of a former parishioner of his. MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Rev. Angelo Artemas, presiding priest at the Annunciation parish in Milwaukee, WI broke his silence and in exclusive interview to TNH spoke freely and openly about the situation involving his predecessor, Fr. James Dokos, who has been charged with stealing money from a trust of a former parishioner of his. Dokos, who is charged…